American Heart Month 2018: You’re in Control

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.

The fight against our nation’s number one killer – cardiovascular disease – can’t be limited to treatment. It must also include prevention. Strategies that detect risk factors for disease and encourage healthier lifestyles are not luxuries – they’re lifesavers.

Not being at a healthy weight is a strain on the hearts of Americans. More than 35% of adults are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity is affecting 32% of kids. With obesity a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, this epidemic is a serious public health issue that must be addressed.

Meanwhile, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, claiming on average 480,000 lives every year. It increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, especially in those who are genetically predisposed. Smoking decreases our ability to exercise, increases the tendency for blood clots, and decreases the good cholesterol in our bodies.

 

American Heart Month Statistics At a Glance:

• 220.8 per 100,000:  The overall rate of death attributable to CVD, based on 2014 data.
• On average, someone died of CVD every 40 seconds. That is about 2,200 deaths of CVD each day.
• On average, someone in the US has a stroke every 40 seconds. This is about 795,000 new or recurrent stroke each year. On average, someone died of a stroke every 4 minutes
• Stroke accounted for ≈1 of every 20 deaths in the United States.
• More than 65% of US adults have 2, 3, or 4 criteria at ideal cardiovascular health, with ≈20% adults within each of these categories. At any age, females tend to have more metrics at ideal levels than do males. Blacks and Hispanics tend to have fewer metrics at ideal levels than whites or other races.
• 85.7 million, or 34.0% of US adults are estimated to have hypertension, based on 2011-2014 data.
• 28.5 million, or 11.9% of US adults are estimated to have total serum cholesterol levels ≥240 mg/dL, based on 2011-2014 data.
• 23.4 million, or 9.1% of US adults are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes, based on 2011-2014 data.
• 1 in 6 males and 1 in 7 females in the United States are current smokers, based on 2015 data.
• On average, 1 in 3 adults, or 30.4% Do not engage in leisure time physical activity. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic black adults were more likely to be inactive.

We can use this month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it — both at home and in the community.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Encourage families to make small changes, like using spices to season their food instead of salt.
• Motivate teachers and administrators to make physical activity a part of the school day. This can help students start good habits early.
• Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.
• Encourage Improved Nutrition and Physical Education in Schools
• Encourage Healthier Food Options and Physical Activity Promotion in Communities
• Quit smoking and support others in quitting or not beginning to smoke.

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Resources:

http://newsroom.heart.org/events/february-is-american-heart-month-5712350

https://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-awareness-month/

https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/news-media/events/heart-month.html

Each year beginning on February 1, an entire month of events are planned nationwide honoring the history and contributions of African Americans.

The theme for Black History Month in 2018 is “African Americans in Times of War” honoring those brave men and women who served their countries in the armed forces, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending the American ideals of freedom and democracy. It which commemorates the centennial of the end of the First World War in 1918 and explores the complex meanings and implications of this global struggle. The First World War was termed initially by many as “The Great War,” “the war to end all wars,” and the war “to make the world safe for democracy,” those very concepts provide a broad, useful framework for focusing on African Americans during multiple wars from the Revolutionary War Era to that of the present War against Terrorism. Times of War must inevitably provide the framework for many stories related to African American soldiers, veterans, and civilians. This is a theme filled with paradoxes of valor and defeat, of civil rights opportunities and setbacks, of struggles abroad and at home, of artistic creativity and repression, and of catastrophic loss of life and the righteous hope for peace.

During World War II, for example, more than 2.5 million black men registered for the draft and one million served as draftees or volunteers in every branch of the armed forces.

A decade before the first glimmers of the American civil rights movement, most black men were assigned to segregated combat groups.

Even so, more than 12,000 black men who served in the segregated 92nd Division received citations were decorated for “extraordinary heroism” on the battlefield.

The Tuskegee Airmen also became legendary for their heroic feats during the war and received a Distinguished Unit Citation, several silver stars, 150 distinguished flying crosses, fourteen bronze stars, and 744 air medals.

At war’s end, recognition of the African-American contribution to the war effort would eventually lay the groundwork for the civil rights protests of the 1950s and 1960s.

The theme suggests that contemporary conditions are cause for critical pause in considerations and studies. These issues include: opportunities for advancement and repression during wartime, the roles of civil rights and Black liberation organizations in the struggle abroad and at home; African American businesses, women, religious institutions, the Black press; the struggle to integrate the military; experiences in the military during segregation/apartheid and integration; health development; migration and urban development; educational opportunities; veterans experiences once they returned home; how Black soldiers and/veterans are documented and memorialized within public and private spaces; the creation of African American Veteran of Foreign War posts, cultures and aesthetics of dissent; global/international discourse; impact and influence of the Pan African Congress, the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party; and the topographies and spaces of Black soldiers’ rebellion. These diverse stories reveal war’s impact not only on men and women in uniform but on the larger African American community.

All about Black History Month

Black History Month can be traced all the way back to September of 1915. In that year, historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History – also known as the ASNLH. This organization was dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements of not only black Americans but all prominent people of African descent. This group would go on to sponsor a National Negro History Week in 1926. The month of February was chosen because the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are in that month. After learning of this week dedicated to the achievements of black Americans, many communities around the country began to organize local celebrations.

Although it didn’t immediately catch on, over the years many different cities all across the country began to recognize Negro History Week. This continued all the way into the late 1960s when Negro History Week was transformed by the Civil Rights Movement into Black History Month. However, it wasn’t until 1976 that Black History Month would be officially recognized by the federal government. Ever since then, every American president has designated the month of February as Black History Month.

 

Resources:

https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/

http://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/black-history-month/

http://www.chiff.com/education/black-history-month.htm

This January, the American Red Cross celebrates National Blood Donor Month and recognizes the lifesaving contribution of blood and platelet donors. As we begin the New Year, the Red Cross encourages individuals to resolve to roll up a sleeve to give this month and throughout 2018.

National Blood Donor Month has been observed in January since 1970 with the goal of increasing blood and platelet donations during winter – one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs. During the winter months, inclement weather often results in cancelled blood drives, and seasonal illnesses like the flu may cause some donors to become temporarily unable to donate.

Blood donation appointments can be made by downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or to receive more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Five health benefits from donating blood:

• Free blood tests – donated blood is tested and donor can asked to be informed if any irregularities are found.
• Satisfaction of saving human lives
• Calorie burn – Blood donation process burns 650 calories – about the same as an average spin class!
• Reduced risk of heart disease – helps eliminate excess buildup of iron in the blood
• Reduced risk of cancer – also due to reduction of excess iron buildup in the blood

Resources:

http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Resolve-to-Give-during-National-Blood-Donor-Month

https://healthprep.com/living-healthy/5-important-health-benefits-you-can-get-from-donating-blood/

Congress has until Friday, March 23, 2018, to pass a spending measure that must be enacted or the federal government will shut down.

It is vitally important to us to keep our members informed with up-to-the-minute information on our website and through email messages. During a government shutdown, federal employees who are furloughed will not be permitted to access their government email until the government re-opens.

To ensure you receive important updates in the event of a shutdown, please update your personal email address.

Here’s how you can update your email address:

• Log onto www.few.org
  • Click on the MEMBER LOGIN Button
  • Click on the My Account link to access the Member Profile Page
  • Once on the Member Profile page, click on the ‘Edit Address Information‘ link
  • Under Home Address into your personal email address and select the radio button next to ‘preferred email address‘
  • Update any additional information on the page and click the ‘Update Address‘ button located at the bottom of the page

We appreciate you taking the time to update your member data.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember and embrace those who enrich our lives.  I am thankful for a lot of things, but most of all I’m thankful for you and your continued support of FEW.  As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for the diversity we encounter each and every day, the uniqueness we each possess, and the freedom we have to fight for equality for all regardless of race, color, gender, language, or creed.

For 50 years Federally Employed Women has worked hard to advocate for opportunities that will assist women in realizing their career goals and to know you played a significant part in working for the Advancement of Women in Government is worthy of giving thanks. As we move forward into our next half-century let us be thankful for a new day to continue our fight for the advancement of women and stand stronger than ever – because our work is not done yet.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

from https://www.opm.gov/news/releases/2017/10/opm-announces-2018-federal-employees-health-benefits-fehb-program-premiums/

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Contact: Office of Communications
Tel: 202-606-2402

OPM Announces 2018 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program Premiums

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced today that the overall average increase in total premiums for the 2018 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program will rise by an average of four percent.

The Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs from November 13 to December 11, 2017, gives Federal employees and retirees the opportunity to evaluate their benefits, provider networks, and the 2018 rates for Federal benefits, which include FEHB, Federal dental and vision (FEDVIP), as well as elections for Flexible Spending Account (FSAFEDS) for health care and/or dependent care. Individuals have the chance to make changes to their coverage within the Open Season dates.

“Open Season is important because these health benefits can help Federal employees care for themselves and their families,” said OPM Acting Director Kathy McGettigan. “I urge Federal employees and retirees to carefully review their healthcare needs and to choose wisely among the plans and enrollment options available to them during this enrollment period.”

Additional information about this year’s Open Season:

• The share of FEHB premiums paid by the government and enrollees is determined based on a government contribution formula set forth in the law. As a result of this formula the average enrollee share increase will be 6.1 percent and the average increase in the government share will be 3.2 percent.
• For FEDVIP, which is fully funded by enrollee premiums, average vision plan premiums will decrease by 0.48 percent and average dental plan premiums will increase by 1.26 percent for 2018.
• In 2018, the FEHB Program will offer 262 health plan choices government-wide.

OPM encouraged all insurance carriers to thoroughly evaluate their health plan options to find ways to improve affordability, reduce costs, and improve the quality of care and the health of the enrolled population. Negotiations were geared to keep premium increases as low as possible while minimizing changes in out-of-pocket costs, such as for deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance.

Established in 1960, the FEHB Program is the largest employer-sponsored health benefits program in the United States, providing health care benefits for about 8.3 million employees, retirees and family members. Approximately 85 percent of all Federal employees participate in the Program.

The OPM website provides a detailed breakdown on the FEHB Program premium rates and the FEDVIP rates.

– end –

“Caregiving Around the Clock”

Caregiving can be a 24-hours a day/7-days a week job. Caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s or a child with special needs can be non-stop. Providing care around the clock can crowd out other important areas of life. And you never know when you will need to rush to the hospital or leave work at the drop of a hat. What challenges do family caregivers face, and how do they manage them day and night?

Morning: Getting off to work. The average family caregiver is a working mother of school-aged children. Mornings become a tricky balancing act of getting the kids ready for school, making sure your loved one has what they need for the day before getting yourself out the door for work.

All Day Long: Managing medications. Up to 70% of the time, the family caregiver – not the patient –manages the medications. The more serious the condition, the more likely it is that the family caregiver manages the medications for the patient. This means ensuring your loved one is taking their medication correctly and maintaining an up-to-date medication list.

During the Workday: Juggling caregiving and work. Six out of 10 family caregivers work full- or part-time in addition to juggling their caregiving responsibilities at home. And most of them say they have to cut back on working hours, take a leave of absence, or quit their job entirely.

Evening: Family time and meal time. Ensuring that you get proper nutrition will help you maintain strength, energy, stamina, and a positive attitude. Nutrition is as important for you as the caregiver as it for your loved one. Caregiving affects the whole family.

Late at Night: Taking time for yourself. Late at night might be the only time you get a few minutes for yourself. Make sure you take time to rest and recharge. The chance to take a breather and re-energize is vital in order for you to be as good a caregiver tomorrow as you were today.

The Middle of the Night: Emergency room visits. Have you ever had to take your loved one to the emergency room in the middle of the night? Be prepared ahead of time with what you need to know and what you need to have with you.

During National Family Caregivers Month, we recognize the challenges family caregivers face when their loved ones need Caregiving Around the Clock!